Political elites - classical and contemporary theories

General data

Course ID:	3500-FAK-ELW
Erasmus code / ISCED:	14.2 Kod klasyfikacyjny przedmiotu składa się z trzech do pięciu cyfr, przy czym trzy pierwsze oznaczają klasyfikację dziedziny wg. Listy kodów dziedzin obowiązującej w programie Socrates/Erasmus, czwarta (dotąd na ogół 0) – ewentualne uszczegółowienie informacji o dyscyplinie, piąta – stopień zaawansowania przedmiotu ustalony na podstawie roku studiów, dla którego przedmiot jest przeznaczony. / (0314) Sociology and cultural studies The ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) code has been designed by UNESCO.
Course title:	Political elites - classical and contemporary theories
Name in Polish:	Elity władzy-klasyczne i współczesne ujęcia
Organizational unit:	Faculty of Sociology
Course groups:
ECTS credit allocation (and other scores):	(not available) Basic information on ECTS credits allocation principles: the annual hourly workload of the student’s work required to achieve the expected learning outcomes for a given stage is 1500-1800h, corresponding to 60 ECTS; the student’s weekly hourly workload is 45 h; 1 ECTS point corresponds to 25-30 hours of student work needed to achieve the assumed learning outcomes; weekly student workload necessary to achieve the assumed learning outcomes allows to obtain 1.5 ECTS; work required to pass the course, which has been assigned 3 ECTS, constitutes 10% of the semester student load. view allocation of credits
Language:	Polish
Type of course:	elective courses
Mode:	Remote learning
Short description:	The aim of the lecture is to review classical and contemporary theories of political elites. The theories of elites evolved from criticizing democracy (classical elitism) to presenting the elite as one of the foundations of democracy (neoelitism). The lecture discusses the main theories of the elite from Mosca and Pareto to the modern ones. The elite-related phenomena, such as political recruitment, elite-leader power system, revolutionary will be also be discussed. The role of the elite factor in democracy: the senate, higher administration and judiciary, local elites, elites in the eyes of public opinion. Elite pathologies.
Full description:	The aim of the lecture is to review classical and contemporary theories of political elites. The theory of elites has evolved from criticizing democracy (classical elitism) to presenting the elite as one of the foundations of democracy (neoelitism). Today, the elite is treated as an important element of the democratic order. It is also an expression of a specific collective experience. The lecture discusses the main theories of the Mosca, Pareto, Michels, Weber, Znamierowski (classical), Schumpeter and Dahl (Neolitism), up to the modern ones: Higley, Pakulski, Etzioni-Halevy. The phenomena related to the emergence and functioning of elites, such as political recruitment, elite-leader power system, revolutionary (Lasswell) and local elites, will also be discussed. The role of the elite factor in democracy will also be discussed: the senate (second chamber), higher administration and the judiciary. Additionally, special topics such as the role of elitism in Poland's political history and women in politics will be discussed. The elites are also subject to attack and criticism (anti-elitist populism and the elite in the eyes of the public - elite conspiracies). The elites also have their own dysfunctions and pathologies (Pakulski, Lasch, Chełpa).
Bibliography:	1. Żyromski M., Teorie elit a systemy polityczne, 2008 2. Schumpeter J., Kapitalizm, socjalizm, demokracja, 1995 3. Sartori G., Teoria demokracji, 1994 4. Znamierowski C., Elita, ustrój, demokracja, 2001 5. Dahl R., Demokracja i jej krytycy, 1995 6. Lasch C., Bunt elit, 1997 7. Wasilewski J., Demokratyczny elityzm, Studia socjologiczne, nr. 3/2020, s. 5-30. 8. Siemieńska R., Płeć, wybory, władza, 2005 9. Maranowski A., Autonomia elit prawnych III Rp, mps. 10. Bartkowski J., Lokalne elity władzy w Polsce w latach 1966-1995, 1997 11. Etzioni-Halevy Eva, Władza w demokracji: teoria elit demokratycznych, 2005
Learning outcomes:	Has basic knowledge about social structures and selected social institutions, and their interrelations Is aware of social differentiation and existing social inequalities, as well as their impact on the life of individuals and the functioning of social groups Has basic knowledge about institutions and organizations responsible for the transfer of norms and rules in society, such as educational, legal, moral and religious systems Is aware of the processes occurring in Polish and global society and their consequences for social attitudes and institutions Is aware of the consequences of choosing a particular theoretical perspective Can interpret past and present social events (political, cultural, and economic) using sociological concepts and theories Can use basic sociological terms and categories to analyze societies, particularly contemporary Polish society Can use basic theoretical categories to describe social changes in modern societies Can comprehend a scientific text and identify its main theses and the author’s arguments, as well as discuss them Can critically assess sources
Assessment methods and assessment criteria:	Written exam

This course is not currently offered.

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